Liberal Arts students investigate rhetorical approaches to the climate crisis

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When it comes to the complex issue of the climate crisis, how it is discussed in the media, by politicians and by activists is incredibly important to understanding the prevalence of climate change in our society. This is exactly what McCourtney Professor of Civic Deliberation Debbie Hawhee hopes her fourth-year students understand.

This semester, Hawhee, a senior scholar in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy and a professor of English, communication arts and sciences and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, taught ENGL 487W Climate Rhetoric, a fourth-year seminar where students investigate rhetorical approaches to the climate crisis as practiced by youth activists, climate scientists, public artists and policy makers.

Throughout the course of the semester, students participated in several exercises with the goal of understanding the rhetorical methods individuals are using to approach the climate crisis, as well as ways to adapt these messages. They analyzed communication strategies utilized by writers, scientists and activists, and sought to create their own methods based upon what they had learned.

These teachings ultimately paved the way for a collaborative workshop to wrap up the semester, allowing students to combine the facts they learned with their own feelings.

“In a unit after Thanksgiving break, we focused on the nonhuman-human relations at the heart of the Anthropocene, the name that frames the current epoch as one in which humans have exerted themselves as a geological force,” Hawhee said. “The final unit of the class asked students to think about the generational challenges posed by the climate crisis — for example, legal battles over decisions that will have a greater impact on future generations than on the generations making the decisions. The workshop offered students a creative way to explore, frame and connect these issues.”

The workshop, titled Greeting Cards for the Anthropocene, was led by Casey Boyle, associate professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Texas at Austin. Boyle created the program with his UT-Austin colleague Craig Campbell, associate professor of anthropology, to make greeting cards, such as ones you would typically find in a grocery store, and utilize effective, witty rhetoric to target them to the climate crisis. One card shown to the class read, “My ancestors used all of our resources...” When opened, it read, “and all I got was this lousy card.”

“We seek to develop tools to better cultivate the communication of climate change,” Boyle said. “We introduce the greeting card as a form of political intervention that can be put in the hands of everyday people.”

When students entered Hawhee’s ENGL 487W class on Dec. 2, they were handed one of these example cards and were encouraged to write a personalized message on the inside, as if they were sending a birthday card to a family member. Some students addressed politicians, while others addressed corporations or even family members to encourage climate action.

“As Boyle explained it to the class, the point is not to make light of something so important and pressing, but to try something different,” Hawhee said. “As he put it, the heart of the activity is ‘writing with actual matter for things that matter.’”

Next, students were instructed to create their own greeting cards. After Boyle provided materials like cardstock, stamps and markers, students worked in groups to utilize their rhetorical skills to craft a message.

Students took varied approaches when making their cards. Some made generalized, witty cards targeting the climate crisis. Others chose to call out institutions for their lack of pro-climate efforts. Ryan Hall, a fourth-year student majoring in communication arts and sciences who wanted to target climate changes’ impact on the ocean, made a card reading, “Whale sea you soon.”

After learning about effective methods of communication throughout the semester, Hawhee hoped for her students to get hands-on experience exercising their knowledge.

“How do you make this complex crisis matter to people unable to see or comprehend the crisis and its slowly unfolding consequences?” Hawhee said. “We have talked a lot about how to engage various audiences on this question and how important it is to find ways to help people see things differently. The hope was that this interactive activity would offer a different approach to the course material.”

On top of expanding students’ knowledge and instructing them to think outside the box, Hawhee hoped for her students to participate in a unique activity leading up to finals week.

“Boyle and I deliberately scheduled the workshop at the end of the semester, a time when students are often overwhelmed with papers and tests,” Hawhee said. “The idea was to spark new connections and to give them a break from lectures, discussions and laptops by handing them scissors, markers and stamps.”

All participants of the workshop stated that it was enjoyable and educational and an exceptional way to clear their mind as exams approached.

“I think the workshop was a rousing success,” Hawhee said. “Students seemed to welcome the opportunity to get creative. The results ranged from clever and punning to searing. The students are very good with group invention, a necessary quality that the current crisis needs.”

Hawhee’s course aligned with the College of the Liberal Arts’ theme for the academic year — “Moments of Change: Creating a Livable Planet” — which focuses on the many aspects of sustainability and highlights the ongoing work of Liberal Arts students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as the Liberal Arts Sustainability Council, in that regard. Similar to "Remembering 1968" (2018) and "A Century of Women's Activism" (2020), the college is planning an array of courses, lectures, presentations, and events centered around the "Creating a Livable Planet" theme.